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NEWS ITEMS AFFECTING GAYS AND LESBIANS
For 2004 -
OCTOBER to DECEMBER
Sponsored link.
In the following, "SSM" refers to "same-sex marriage."
News of 2004-OCT. to DEC.:
 | 2004-OCT-14: NY: State gives limited recognition to same-sex
marriages: New York state comptroller, Alan Hevesi, declared that gay
partners of New York state government workers who had married in Canada are
entitled to the same public pension benefits as married heterosexuals.
1 |
| 2004-OCT-22: USA: Pro-life group recommends severing ties with Girl
Guides: According to the Massachusetts Family Institute (MFI), the
American Life League (ALL) is recommending that families and groups sever
all ties with the Girl Scouts. ALL surveyed Girl Scout councils across the
U.S. and found that one in five had some sort of relationship with Planned
Parenthood. MFI is also critical of the Girl Scouts because they do not ban
lesbians from the organization. 2 |
| 2004-NOV: Europe: Justice commissioner
resigns nomination: Rocco Buttiglione of Italy is a conservative Roman
Catholic and a friend of Pope John Paul II. During a hearing before the
European Parliament's Civil Liberties Committee,
he described homosexuality as a sin and has stated that families exist so
that husbands can protect women as they raise children. He was nominated for
the post of Justice Commissioner. He said: "I may think that
homosexuality is a sin and it has no effect on politics unless I say
homosexuality is a crime." He was forced to resign his nomination.
3 |
| 2004-NOV-16: Canada: Conflict between gay
human rights and freedom of religion: A meeting was held at the
Market Lane Public School in downtown Toronto, ON. There were 150
parents present -- mostly Muslims who wanted their children excluded from
classes that discuss families headed by same-sex parents in what the school
board calls "anti-homophobia education." Of the 560 students at the
school, about 10 to 15% are Muslim, mostly originally from North Africa. The
board has a policy of accommodating parents' religious rights. However,
Patricia Hayes, a human rights expert with the school board, said: "Religious
beliefs do not trump human rights." She also said that if Muslim
children were to get up and leave the room when the film was going to be
shown, "we would be creating a very toxic learning environment for those
other children." At the meeting, a National Film Board Production
called "Sticks and Stones" was played. The film is also shown in
class. It shows a number of interviews with children of same-sex parents.
One child in the film said: "The worst thing about having gay dads is
people make fun of you." One of the Muslim parents leaving the meeting
was concerned that their religious rights to reject same-sex parenting had
received less respect than same-sex parents' rights had received. Mohamed
Yassin said: "They showed a gay lifestyle to the kids without the
knowledge of the parents. [The school board is]....willing to help gay
students with support. Gay people have their rights. I have my rights."
Michelle Flecker, a second equity worker, said: "There is sometimes the
misunderstanding that anti-homophobia education is sex education. It does
not involve the explicit description of sexual activity. It discusses
families." She discusses the Toronto board's equity policy as "one of
the most inclusive in North America. Anti-homophobia education does not
teach children that their family's religion is wrong. It does not influence
children's sexual orientation." The board accommodates parents who want
their children to have no exposure to sex education. A lesbian introduced
her same-sex partner at the meeting and was applauded. She said: "We're
not talking about us having sex; we're talking about my daughter receiving
respect." Alimamy Bangura, a member of the Campaign for Public
Education and a founder of the Muslim Education Network said: "The
Muslim community has been well received by the board. In every school where
accommodation has been requested by the Muslim community, the board has
responded very generously." 4 |
| 2004-NOV-20: Protests against movie about
Alexander the Great: Oliver Stone's new movie "Alexander" portrays the life of
the ancient Greek hero, Alexander the Great. Included are scenes of passionate embrace
between Alexander and his male best friend Hephaestion. The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) says the film breaks new ground
for a big-budget epic because it shows Hephaestion "as the true love of Alexander's life."
An actor in the film says: "Alexander was defeated only
once -- by Hephaestion's thighs." Some Greeks are not happy with the
movie. A group of lawyers have asked Stone and Warner Brothers to include a
message in the film credits saying that the film is fictional. In 2001, hundreds
of Macedonians protested at an archaeological seminar after one speaker presented
a paper on Alexander's bisexuality. 5 |
| 2004-DEC-2: United Methodist Church (UMC) defrocks lesbian minister:
Rev. Irene Elizabeth Stroud, 34, was found guilty by a 13 person jury,
composed of fellow Methodist clergy, because of her sexual orientation. UMC
regulations forbid "self-avowed, practicing homosexuals" as clergy. The
vote was 12 to 1. Nine votes were required to find her guilty.
The case began when she told her bishop and congregation that she was living
in a committed relationship with her partner, Chris Paige.
Rev. J. Dennis Williams, Stroud's defense counsel, said that "the heart of
the issue is whether all United Methodists, regardless of status, are to be
afforded equal rights and equal opportunities."
The jury voted 7 to 6 to defrock Rev. Stroud. She has 30 days to appeal her
conviction. 6 More details. |
References:
- "Empire State Strikes Out," Family
Research Council, Washington Update newsletter, 2004-OCT-14.
- Massachusetts Family Institute, E-Alert,
2004-OCT-22.
- "European Official Dumped for Opposing
Homosexuality,"Culture Facts, 2004-NOV-5, Family Research Council.
- Tess Kalinowski, "Muslim students can't skip gay
ed. Matter of respect, public board says. 150 parents debate issue at
meeting," The Toronto Star, 2004-NOV-17, Page A1 and A22.
- Arthur Spiegelman, " 'Alexander' under fire for bisexual king,"
Reuters, 2004-NOV-20. at:
http://www.reuters.co.uk/
- "Methodist jury defrocks lesbian minister," CNN.news, 2004-DEC-03,
at:
http://www.cnn.com/
Notice:
In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. sec 107: The news items
contained in the above hyperlinks are provided without profit by the
Ontario Consultants for Religious Tolerance, PO Box 27026, Kingston ON
Canada K7M 8W5, and are intended to be available to anyone
interested in the topics included, for educational purposes only. Any
editor, author, Webmaster, writer, publisher, news service, etc. that
objects to being part of this listing may request that future works be
excluded. We will also attempt to delete previous entries from the
same source.
Copyright © 2004 by the Ontario
Consultants on Religious Tolerance
Originally written: 2004-OCT-15
Latest update: 2004-NOV-23
Compiler: B.A. Robinson
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